17| Who runs the world? Girls!
"Men!" Furious, Alyssa slammed her front door with a snarl, turned to glare at Cleo, perched atop the couch back. She blinked up at her with bemused green eyes, as if to say, 'Tell me about it. Who needs em?'
"Damn straight," she said, stooping to kiss Cleo's head and scratch behind her ears. "Who needs the bastards, eh?"
If only the rest of her felt as strongly. Two years. Two god damn years without a man, to go unloved, unwanted, untouched was torture. She'd made the mistake the first few instances of putting herself out there, to mention the cancer battle head on. At first she'd thought it was the smart thing to do—to be honest. Until she'd watched the colour bleed from their faces, the inane babble of platitudes before they took off into the ether, like centipedes when the lights flicker on. Never to be seen or heard from again unless it was to pass on some useless, pat on the back.
She'd heard just about every variation of 'It's not you it's me' in existence. Problem is, when it happened over and over and over again, it was virtually impossible not to take it personally. And after her little rant in the kitchen where she'd dropped the C-bomb in Ethan's lap, of course he'd reject her too. Just like all the others.
Plucking up Cleo's lithe, purring body, Alyssa sat down on the couch and soaked up that affection. She'd gone to the precinct, hoping to prove herself wrong. And, supposed more or less she had. It wasn't the cancer, though his reasons were no less asinine.
"I should be used to this by now," she whispered against Cleo's neck, her soft fur tickling her nose.
Only Indy had stuck by her, through thick and thin. Never faltering or wavering once. She'd picked Alyssa up every time she crumbled and broke apart. She alone had glued back the pieces and helped Alyssa find herself among the charred remains of her life. Indy was the reason Alyssa had never given up.
She'd lost more than a few because of the drama surrounding her sister as they either sided with Nate for losing his girls, or formed a strong, negative opinion towards Eva. When Alyssa had gone into competitive fitness following the cancer, even more had dropped, claiming she was vain or that her fitness lifestyle was an obsession and an attention seeking cry for help after Sebastian had walked out on her.
Done with the negativity and drama, Alyssa had shed more than body fat that year. And was fine with it. Knowing that certain individuals had formed such horribly low opinions of her or Eva were not the sort of people she cared to know.
Sayonara and good riddance to dead weight.
But a woman needed girl friends and she hadn't realized how much she'd missed that buzzing female energy until touching down on Haven. Drawing out her phone, Alyssa stroked a thumb across the screen, thought about calling her best friend when a knock at the door stilled her. And was surprised when she opened it to find Eva standing on her front steps with Jenelle and a pretty blonde with shy green eyes, each holding paper bags with foil topped bottles.
Except the blonde carted a large flat box with something that smelled a lot like pizza wafting from inside.
"Hey," she widened the door letting them inside, "what's all this?"
"Girls night," Jenelle beamed, wiggling her parcel. "With the gallery closed for reno's we're playing hooky and I thought they should have a proper girl's night. We've got champagne and double fudge gelato. And the best margarita pizza you've ever had."
Shutting the door against the brisk slap of cold air, Alyssa stroked her hands over her arms. A girl's night? She couldn't recall the last time she'd had one. And that right there was freaking pathetic.
"What about the girls?" she asked, glancing at Eva. "Didn't Marshall have to fly out to see his editor for a couple of day in Toronto?"
"Lottie's babysitting." Eva hooked an arm around the blonde, drawing her forward. "I want you to meet another awesome friend of mine Claire Willows."
Tidy, quiet and shy. But there was something there. Something strong and capable. She recognized strength of someone who'd endured. Persevered, and for reasons she couldn't quiet explain, Alyssa liked Claire immensely. And instantly.
"Nice to meet you." Alyssa said.
"Hi. Eva's told me so much about you." A smile brightening Claire's lovely face. A narrow heart shape framed with a wild array of curls that were somewhere between honey and caramel. Her skin was a warm hue inherited from genetics rather than a tanning bed and made her green eyes bright and compelling.
Alyssa gathered their jackets and tossed them on the narrow bench by the entry before joining the trio as they set their goods on the counters.
"You look like you could use this." Eva nodded to the champagne. "When you opened the door I thought you were going to take my head off."
"Sorry," Alyssa smiled. "It's been one of those days."
"I smell drama." Jenelle snickered, winking at Eva. "Hold that thought. This calls for champagne."
"I'll get the glasses," Claire offered and glanced questioningly at Alyssa.
"Top left. Middle shelf. Plates are in the next one over."
"Plates are for amateurs," Eva scoffed, carting the box into the bedroom.
Corks were popped and bubbles frothed inside of porcelain mugs. The three of them toasted to womanhood and global domination. Pizza sat half eaten in the box on the bed, gelato passed around with a single spoon and between all the buzzing energy and bubbles and fat, Alyssa's head was spinning like a giddy kid at a carnival. She'd forgotten how much she missed this sort of thing. Girl-talk and booze and sugar.
They giggled and laughed and gossiped and Alyssa was so utterly blissed out she'd almost forgotten she was upset at all until the subject, as always with women, invariably shifted towards men.
Flipping on to her stomach, Jenelle pinned Alyssa with a knowing smirk. "I heard you were looking pretty cozy at Everleigh with someone last night. Drinking. Dancing. Even breaking up a bar fight, and that he later took you home."
"I assume we're talking about Ethan?" Eva clarified, handing over the gelato to Jenelle who waved an impatient hand for it.
"How do you know that?"
"Jenelle's better connected than the mob," Eva said, underscoring the statement with a swipe of her hand. "Nothing gets by her. Nothing."
"That's right bitches, bow to my awesomeness." Perched on her knees, Jenelle thrust her arms up in the air with a victorious wiggle.
"Well, if you must know, your brother," Alyssa said, diving in to her fourth slice of ooey-gooey cheese and basil and tomato goodness, "is such a pain in the ass."
"Ethan's always been an odd ball." Jenelle shrugged.
"I think he's lonely," Claire said, topping up her champagne. Angling the bottle upside down so as not to waste a single drop. "He has sad eyes."
"I think you're right," Eva snagged the tub of gelato back from Jenelle, wagged the spoon at Claire. "Definitely something sad about the man. For as long as I've known him."
Rolling on her back, Jenelle stretched out width-ways across the bed. "He hasn't been the same since Vanessa. She was his first and some thought she'd be his only."
"What happened?" Alyssa wondered, licking sauce off her fingers. "Why'd they break up?"
"She died in a hit and run about twelve years ago. I think that's what pushed Ethan into becoming a cop, you know? He went into the academy a few months later and has been married to the job every since. He's dated his fair share of women, but no one remotely serious since calling things off with Nicole a couple years ago."
"I remember her." Eva nodded. "Latina with a loud voice up from Calgary. Joined the RCMP. I hated that chick."
"We all did. Personally, I think Ethan's problem is he needs to get laid." Playfully, Jenelle tossed a wadded ball of paper at Alyssa's head. "So come on, girl. Dish on the goods. What happened when he brought you home?"
Alyssa wadded that napkin into a tight ball and lobbed it back. Narrowly missing Jenelle's bobbing head. "Nothing happened. Not really."
"Not really is a long way off from nothing." Claire chimed in, emboldened by the booze. For a little thing, she could certainly keep up and popped the top of the third bottle of the night. Surrounded by three sets of avid eyes, Alyssa sighed through a laugh.
"Fine. Okay." She laid it all out, from the moment she left Eva's place straight through to the second she and Ethan later walked through the door. Quickly followed by all the steamy, juicy details of the wild kiss.
"He all but slammed me up against those cabinets," she said with a wiggle of her finger towards the kitchen. "Thought he was going to devour me right then and there. It was sexy as hell."
Jenelle's gaze snapped from Alyssa to the kitchen and back. "Ethan? My brother Ethan? That Ethan?"
Alyssa snorted through a champagne soaked giggle. "One and the same."
"Sweet Michael Kors...who would've thought?" Staggered, she looked from Claire to Eva who merely shrugged and smiled.
"Still waters, babe. Still-freaking-waters."
Joining them on the bed, Claire settled in closer, cheeks flushed a soft pink. "What happened next?"
"As I said before—nothing. He took off like a cat with his tail on fire." A dry smirk slanted across her face. "Honestly, I should be surprised. This is almost routine by now. Soon as you say the word cancer they take off. Like I'm contaminated with some viral pathogen. Even with the tumors cut out," she sighed, rolling her glass in her hand, "that's all anyone ever sees when they look at me."
Reaching for her, Claire held on to Alyssa's hand, features softening with understanding instead of pity.
"If Ethan balked," Jenelle said, "I can guarantee it's not because of the cancer."
"Oh, I realized that after stopping by the precinct this afternoon." Alyssa straightened on the bed, crossing her legs. Careful not to slosh her wine. "Turns out he's all caught up in the idea that you and Marshall getting married," she wagged a finger at Eva, "equates us to kissing cousins or some shit."
Jenelle rolled her eyes. "Men are such morons. And Ethan is about as stubborn as an ox and mule combined. If we're going to get him moving, we're going to have to hit him where it hurts. The ego."
"I was going to say balls, but I guess ego's located in more or less the same region." Smirking, Alyssa sipped from her mug. "You should've seen his face this afternoon when I called him a chicken-shit."
Jenelle snorted, rolling to her side "You said that? Ooooh, he's bound to be so pissed. That's going to make my job easier." Rising from the bed, Jenelle rummaged around through Alyssa's drawers. Opening the third one, she let out a soft groan and sank to her knees. Almost reverent. "Oh my god, she has pretty underwear, Eva. Pretty, gorgeous, girlie underwear. Are you sure you two are related?"
Eva snorted, elbowing Alyssa. "Got the birth certificate to prove it."
Amused Alyssa watched as Jenelle riffled through her lingerie, oohing and aweing as she went.
"This would be perfect," Jenelle said, lifting out a matched set of her more provocative pieces. "Should take about twenty minutes for Ethan to get here once I make the call. Claire, you've got hair duty and Eva, you're on makeup. I'll figure out the wardrobe. And I think Marshall kept some stocked in the pantry for emergencies. I want this stage set for nothing but instant seduction."
"Call?" Alyssa asked as Claire and Eva scattered around her, like soldiers going to war and Jenelle rooted around in her purse for her phone. "What are you doing?"
"Shush, darling, let an evil mastermind work her magic."
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